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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Joanna Newsom Sounds Like Specific Cartoon Characters

Like many of you, I am a big Joanna Newsom fan. One of my great regrets was missing her show at BAM when I visited New York a few months back. (Had tickets but a death in the family forced me to skip the show.) But anyway, I often recommend her to friends regardless of their taste in music. When I do this, I usually have to offer the caveat: "She kind of sounds like Lisa Simpson when she sings." And this is generally true, as heard on "Sadie," the highlight from her first album The Milk-Eyed Mender.

But today I was listening to The Milk-Eyed Mender in my car (I've quickly learned that is is the medium by which music is heard in Los Angeles-- a car stereo), and I came to an important realization. (I hope you're sitting down as you read this.) On certain tracks, Joanna Newsom sounds much more like Butters from South Park. Check out "Inflammatory Writ."

I will of course be publishing these findings in a major academic journal this fall, but I wanted to give you all a sneak preview since my discovery is likely to send shock waves through the industry. At the very least, it will rival my 1994 treatise on the manifold similarities between the voices of J Mascis and Elmer Fudd.

She is in her mid-20's, and the last I heard was that she has been spending a lot of time with Andy Samberg from SNL. I could post links, but a few minutes of googling for yourself should verify what I've said. By the way, she sounds wonderful to me.

eric, I don't have a problem with anyone not liking Joanna's voice. After all, it is decidedly different. In fact, I would be surprised if everyone liked it, considering that I can recognize the qualities there that are likely to irritate many people. I just happen to be one of the few who fell in love with her voice instantly, and that was during my first listen over three years ago. It was the strangeness that first caught my attention. So, I wouldn't worry too much about whether or not you are being close-minded, or feel like you have to explain.